California has been having a bit of a rainy season lately, so much so that some people are asking if we're finally coming to the end of its three-year long drought. The answer is almost certainly not. Here's the numbers on how much water California would need to see the drought's end — and, fair warning, it's a lot.»1/15/15 11:30am 1/15/15 11:30am

Seriously, Venus is the worst. The global temperature is as hot as an oven, the atmospheric pressure is 90 times Earth, and it rains sulfuric acid. Every part of the surface of Venus would kill you dead in moments. But how did it get that way?»12/19/14 4:30pm 12/19/14 4:30pm

When you see a bright red river or a lake that glows a vivid green color, you probably think it belongs on another planet. But these incredibly striking bodies of water are right here on Earth. Here are the most beautiful and alien-looking rivers and lakes, sporting bizarre colors. »12/15/14 3:00pm 12/15/14 3:00pm

The placebo effect and the nocebo effect demonstrate that our minds have a special kind of control over our bodies. They also might have control over the world. And that's something to be worried about. »9/22/14 12:40pm 9/22/14 12:40pm

In 2008, Serge Orru, the head of the French section of the World Wildlife Fund, came up with the idea of displaying 1,600 pandas—the number still alive in the wild—at landmarks across the country. Six years, twenty countries and more than one hundred cities later, the pandas are preparing to visit Hong Kong in June. »5/06/14 3:49pm 5/06/14 3:49pm

Climate change isn't just coming — it's already here. Just check out these 10 charts that show everything from how much it costs to heat or cool our homes to the amount of rain we've been getting. »5/06/14 1:01pm 5/06/14 1:01pm

DON'T PANIC, coffee-drinkers. But Brazil is facing an epic drought, having just wrapped up one of the driest months on record — and the bad news could be making its way right into your (empty) coffee cup. »2/25/14 4:15pm 2/25/14 4:15pm

In 1988, as part of a print advertising campaign, Volkswagen asked many thinkers, including author Kurt Vonnegut, to write letters to the people of 2088. Vonnegut's words of advice: Nature is out to kill us all and instead of being overly optimistic, we should submit to its terms of surrender. »2/21/14 5:30pm 2/21/14 5:30pm

Scientist Andrew David Thaler decided to write a novel set in the future, in a "post-sea-level-rise world." To make Fleet as scientifically realistic as he could, he needed to model the actual flooding that could result from climate change. And thus, a meme that reached 10 million people was born. »12/17/13 11:19am 12/17/13 11:19am

A recent project by designer Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg proposes that bioengineered creatures be released into the wild to save endangered species and clean up pollution. And she's already designed four organisms to do it, including soil-scouring slugs and seed-dispersing porcupines. »11/13/13 12:40pm 11/13/13 12:40pm

A group of Duke University scientists have found concentrations of radium, a highly radioactive substance, in a stream near a facility that treats wastewater left over from hydraulic fracturing. The concentrations are 200 times higher than background levels — and they're in the water supply. »10/03/13 2:43pm 10/03/13 2:43pm

It’s only a matter of time before humanity solves the aging problem. And resistance to radical life extension has already begun, driven by fears of overpopulation and the exhaustion of our planet's resources. Here’s why the critics are wrong. »10/02/13 11:52am 10/02/13 11:52am

Our climate is changing, no doubt about it. The festering controversy we're in has been about whether humans have anything to do with it. A comprehensive report by a UN-sponsored climate panel may now finally put the issue to rest — and we're most certainly to blame. »9/27/13 8:00am 9/27/13 8:00am